Allemagne
In roughly the same region as modern Germany lies Allemagne, a human nation that is the heart of the Reich. The region is divided up into 8 provinces, a result of a recent push for modernization and administrative reform. The shift to a specialized bureaucracy and limited autonomy in the core regions has greatly increased tax revenue to the government, which ultimately led to expansionistic interests. Consequently, the Reich has annexed Bohemia, Rakusko, and, more recently, Lechia. Thanks to the highly efficient administrative measures that are being forced upon those regions, the Reich is able to maintain a stable grip on those territories to an extent that was not possible in the past. Name History Current State Government The Reich itself is led by the Kaiser, a ruler for life that is traditionally elected by and from 8 electors, hereditary positions that rule over each of the provinces. In the event that a Kaiser dies or otherwise abdicates the position, his countship will be filled and then a vote will be taken for which elector will become the new Kaiser. However, to address the topic of representation among annexed territories, each annexed country has been granted a single vote in the election process after having been annexed for 5 years. Accordingly, the rulers of Bohemia and Rakusko are effectively electors, while the King of Lechia is not, since it was annexed less than 5 years ago. There are currently 10 votes in the Reich government, and soon there will be 11. However, such elector votes are not limited to the elections of the Kaiser. They are also used to vote on domestic issues and certain foreign relations issues that affect the entire country. Individual electors generally have discretion over how to run their individual provinces, but matters of national security, taxation, diplomacy, and war are usually voted on by the electors. The key exception to this is that once a war has begun, all military and diplomatic power is turned over to the Kaiser. At that point, the Kaiser will oversee the deployment of the national military and also has the power to order the mobilization of the provinces. Such a scenario would only transpire in the direst of times and would likely involve the drafting of every able-bodied man and woman in the nation. When not in war, the Kaiser is essentially just responsible for maintaining the national military and overseeing his home region, since he is still technically an elector. In practice, this is generally too much for a single individual to handle, so the elector duties are delegated to a faithful servant. This is a doubly useful practice, since it ensures that there is a qualified and experienced candidate is available to fill the position of elector if something does happen to the Kaiser. Each province is ruled differently, a practice that is necessitated by the wildly different environments that make up Allemagne. For example, Bavar is a suburban province with high taxes as a result of its massive industrial and trade output, while Renia is largely an untaxed wilderness since the cost of setting up a comprehensive taxation system would massively outweigh any potential revenue to be made from the hunters that call the region home. Provinces * Brambor - the capital * Thuring - the breadbasket * Vorpom - the coast * Palat - the army * Bavar - the forge * Nieder - the soul * Renia - the forest * Sueb - the road International Relations Allemagnian international relations Knightly Orders * The Order of the Leviathan * The Order of Iron Thunder * The Order of the Chamois * The Order of the Lynx * The Order of the Begleiter * The Order of the White Wing * The Order of the Hafgryf * The Order of Mut Patron Cults * Cult of Suros - sea, heavy Aureus influence, air and water magic (Aegir) * Cult of Celes - air, similarities to Eccles, air magic (Thor) * Cult of Tyv - forest, hunting, primal, life, attuned to beasts, elemental balance, remembrance of old gods (Nerpuz) * Cult of Dust - plains, solitude, external and internal wealth, air and earth magic (Odin) * Cult of Hammer - mountains, forging, mining, Dwarven ties, earth and fire magic (Wayland) * Cult of Awnest - farming, fertility, reproduction, sexuality, combination of Aureus and magic (Freya) * Cult of The Family - peace, family, cities, practical magic usage (Frigg) * Cult of Vor - war, death, struggle, aversion to magic (Tyr) Institutions * Eccles of Allemagne * Merchants Guild (multiple rivals?) * Shipwrights Guild * Ironworkers Guild * Hunters Guild * Porcene Guild * Masonry Guild (Aureus!) * Aureus Embassy * Dwarven Embassy * Administrative College * Agricultural College * Switzer Untercolleges * Military College Demographics Creatures * Holda * Lorelei * Berchta * Weisse Frauen * Wild Hunt * Rubezahl * Changeling * Krampus * Knecht Ruprecht * Lutzelfrau * Osterhase * Walpurgisnacht * Piped Piper * Till Eulenspiegel Guns Misc. Have mastered flintlocks, which are available to elite and enlisted soldier alike Pepper-box muskets are extremely expensive and limited to veterans and the rich, but basic muskets are extremely common Flintlock pistols or flintlock carbines are worn by almost every mounted soldier, with most taking a brace of pistols All variants of flintlock pistols are used, revolvers are rarest, then pepper-box, then double-barreled, then regular variants Shot and solid bullets are both used depending on potential threats, shot being best for taking down aerial threats Holy Roman Empire - Reichsreform